About the Minami Family Residence Tool Storehouse
The Minami Family Residence Tool Storehouse (南家住宅道具蔵, Minami-ke Jūtaku Dōgugura) is a fireproof earthen storehouse built at the end of the Edo period, between 1830 and 1868, southeast of the main house on the Minami homestead in Oaza Ikenouchi, Gose City, Nara Prefecture, and it became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 14, 2021. It was renovated around 1970.
It is a two-storey Dozo-zukuri building with a footprint of 76 square meters. The ridge runs north to south under a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles. On the estate, only the main house is larger.
Why the Tool Storehouse Was Registered
The Minami Family Residence Tool Storehouse was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs credits it with shaping the eastern edge of the property.
On this estate the gatehouse and wooden fence define the northern boundary, and the Minami storehouse defines the eastern one. Standing lengthwise along that edge, its white walls give the plot a clear outline, and the council report singles it out for exactly that role.
White Walls Sealed Up to the Eaves
The walls of the Minami Family Residence Tool Storehouse are packed with clay right up into the underside of the eaves and finished in white Shikkui lime plaster. No rafters or eave beams are left exposed; everything below the roof is wrapped in the same white skin, the standard way of making a storehouse resistant to fire.
The entrance is on the west side, sheltered by a Geya lean-to roof built out from the wall. The east side has two windows, and apart from them the outward-facing east wall is an unbroken run of white plaster.
An Earthen Ground Floor and a Boarded Upper Floor
Inside, the ground floor is a single earthen-floored room with a staircase in the northwest corner. The upper floor is a single room with a plank floor. Two open rooms stacked one above the other make a plain arrangement suited to storing household equipment. The national database includes a photograph of the roof framing on the upper floor.
Visiting the Minami Family Residence Tool Storehouse
The Minami Family Residence Tool Storehouse is privately owned and its interior is not open to the public, so the earthen floor, the boarded upper room, and the roof framing cannot be seen up close.
The storehouse stands on the eastern edge of the plot, away from the road along the northern side. Please stay off the property and look only at what can be seen from outside.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Nara
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Minami Family Residence Tool Storehouse
- [ Todaiji Great Buddha & Nara Park Deer Experience ]
Q&A
- When was the Minami Family Residence Tool Storehouse built?
- It dates from the end of the Edo period, between 1830 and 1868, and was renovated around 1970.
- Why is the Minami Family Residence Tool Storehouse a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on October 14, 2021, for contributing to the historic landscape, as the storehouse that shapes the eastern edge of the estate.
- Where is the entrance to the Minami Family Residence Tool Storehouse?
- It is on the west side, under a lean-to roof. The east side has two windows.
- What is inside the Minami Family Residence Tool Storehouse?
- The ground floor is one earthen-floored room with stairs in the northwest corner, and the upper floor is one room with a plank floor.
- Can visitors go inside the Minami Family Residence Tool Storehouse?
- No. It is privately owned and the interior is not open to the public.
Basic Information
| Name | Minami Family Residence Tool Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 923-1 Oaza Ikenouchi, Gose City, Nara Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered on October 14, 2021 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 76 square meters |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private residence) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Minami Family Residence Tool Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014076
- Cultural Heritage Online: Minami Family Residence Tool Storehouse (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/583566
- Agency for Cultural Affairs: Council for Cultural Affairs report of July 16, 2021, list of registered structures (PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bunkazai/shokai/yukei_kenzobutsu/pdf/93246101_01.pdf
- Gose City: Registered Cultural Properties (Japanese)
- https://www.city.gose.nara.jp/0000001353.html
Last verified: 2026.10.04
